District Mounts Health Effort for All Students, Staff

The Beverly Hills (Calif.) Unified School District has embarked on
an ambitious health-education and fitness program that will encompass
students throughout the district, their parents, and all school
employees for at least the next two years.

The program, which was announced earlier this month, will attempt to
increase student and community awareness of the need to begin and
maintain a healthy lifestyle through nutrition, exercise, and personal
habits.

District officials say the strategy they are adopting in the "Neil
Konheim Health Promotion" project could become a model for other school
districts and communities throughout the country. The project is named
after the late son of a project benefactor, George Konheim, a Beverly
Hills real-estate businessman.

Most Mandates Limited

According to a survey conducted by the Education Commission of the
States, 42 states mandate health-education instruction as part of the
public-school curriculum. But most only specify instruction on alcohol
and drug abuse and ignore other health issues such as chronic diseases,
according to Gayle Diem, na-tional coordinator for the American Health
Foundation's "Know Your Body" program.

Individual schools in a number of cities have begun health-education
programs to teach students and employees how to reduce their risk of
becoming ill with cardiovascular diseases and cancer, and their chances
of having a stroke, the three leading causes of death. But the Beverly
Hills program is the most comprehensive and far-reaching effort
undertaken by a school district, its officials say.

Districtwide Effort

The Beverly Hills program is being developed by district officials
with assistance from the School of Public Health at the University of
California at Los Angeles and the American Health Foundation, a
nonprofit health-research organization based in New York. It is
scheduled to begin in classrooms throughout the district in the
fall.

Lolly Horn, the district's project coordinator, said that each of
the district's 5,149 students will be screened for physical fitness and
health knowledge at both the beginning and the end of the school year
to measure any improvement. The information will be charted on each
student's "health passport."

During a recent health fair in the district, teachers and other
employees participated in compiling their own health profiles,
according to Ms. Horn.

"The intent is to enlist the participation of the students
themselves, their leaders, the faculty of the entire school district,
the parents through their organization, and every element in the
community," said Lester Breslow, dean of ucla's School of Public
Health, and chairman of the steering committee for the district's
project.

Health Benefits Stressed

"I think it will differ from most school health programs in that
it's a comprehensive effort, including attention to the curriculum in
health in grades kindergarten through 12 at the district's four
elementary schools and one high school," Mr. Breslow explained. The
program also will stress the health benefits of nutrition and physical
activity outside of the classroom.

"We think it's unfortunate that some youngsters learn about
nutrition in the classroom but see something quite different in the
cafeteria," Mr. Breslow said. The Beverly Hills project will also focus
on improving the meals served in school cafeterias.

"The reason for doing this, we think, is that the habits young
peo-ple acquire during the ages while in school have a profound impact
on their lives later," Mr. Breslow explained, citing the use of alcohol
and cigarettes as examples of bad habits that have unhealthy
consequences.

Over the next several months, according to Ms. Horn, those involved
in the district's health project will develop the curriculum, based on
a review of existing health-related materials and with advice from
teachers and members of an advisory council that so far has not been
named.

Beverly Hills school officials said they will adapt elements of the
Know Your Body program to their project. The Know Your Body program was
begun in 1975 by Ernst Wynder, the founder of the American Health
Foundation, with a grant from the National Institutes of Health. Dr.
Wynder is a research endocrinologist whose work helped to identify the
relationship between lung cancer and cigarette smoking.

In the Know Your Body program, according to Ms. Diem, screening of
students plays an important part in the early identification of health
risks and in motivating individuals to correct unhealthy habits.

Mr. Breslow said, however, that the Beverly Hills project will not
be limited to the techniques of that program.

Vol. 03, Issue 26

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